Semaphore blade



Patented Aug. 15,

FREDERICK c. LAvanAon, or monrcrarrt, new JERSEY, assrenoa r0 RAILROAD ACCESSORIES CORPORATION, or NEW YORK, n. Y., a conronnrroiv OENEW'Q YORK.

snivrnrrronn BLADE.

Application filed March 30, 1921. Serial No. 456,887. 5

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F REDERIOK C. LAVA- RACK, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have-invented a new and useful Semaphore Blade, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway signal semaphore blades and more particularly to such blades made'of metal and enamelled.

It is known that railway signal semaphore blades made of metal and enamelled have been in use for a considerable time. It is also known that the prior art enamelled blades have, in service, developed various defects, which are directly attributable to their mode of construction.

Chief perhaps, amongst the defects of prior art blades is the accumulations which gradually increase on the face of the blade,

having as a foci and predisposing cause,the rivets or bolt heads which pass through the blade and appear on the face of the blade. These rivets or bolt heads not only break the continuity of the colored face of the blade, but as stated serve as foci for the accumulation of dust and flying dirt which further breaks the continuity of the colored face of the blade. Furtheig the accumulations are ubstantially black, whereas, the face of the blade is colored generally, red or yellow, colors which have been selected because of their arrestive appearance, so that the value of the semaphore blade as a signal is materially decreased by the obscuration of the arrestive colors caused by substantially black accumulations on the face of the blade. This is extremely important, and is fully realized, when it is considered that the drivers of rapidly moving trains'must, for safety, actually see and act on the indication given by the signal. If anything obs'cures or tends to obscure the signal, so that the driver may fail even under the best conditions of light and atmospheric conditions to note the signal, then disastrous results are likely to occur, as is well understood by those versed in the railway signal art.

A principal object of this invention is the production of an enamelled semaphore blade which will have an unbroken face surface with no rivets or like parts projecting therethrough serving as foci for accumulations of dirt and which have a tendency to crack the enamel.

Other objects and advantages will appear Patented Aug. 15, 19 22. I

as the description progresses of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention, and the novel features of the lnvention will beparticularly point ed out in the appended claims.

In describing, in detail, the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention, reference is had to the accompany ng drawing, wherein I have illustrated a particular preferred physical embodiment of'my invention, and-whereiulike characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the which several views, and in Figure 1 .is a front elevation of an en amelled semaphore blade embodying my invention with some. parts broken away to more clearly show the construction, and a fragment of a blade'grip; F ig.".2 is a perspective viewof another improved form of enamelle'd blade, Figs. 8', 4:, 5,6 and 7 are cross sectional views. on the lines III-J11,

IV- IV, V-V, VI-VI and VII-47H re spectlvely of Figs. 1' and 2 respectively; Fig. 8, is a perspective view of a form of bolt head lock usedin my invention; Fig. 9, is a cross sectional view corresponding with Fig. 3, except that a different means for locking the bolt heads is shown.

Numeral '1', designates a fragment of an ordinary and well known form of signal semaphore blade grip having the usual roundels 2 and 2. This blade grip supports the blade 3 in any appropriate manner as by bolts 4. This mode of construction of the blade 3 andthe form of'connection with the grip 1 constitute the featuresvof novelty in the present invention.- I i The blade 3 1S constructed of a single sheetof metal, preferably; ironorsteel, and enamelled, and is 'slightly'wider at theouter end, that is, the right hand end as viewed in Fig. 1, than at th'e'blade grip end, and fits;

loosely into a sort of' recess in the blade grip, best shown in Fig. 1. In the form shown in Fig. 1, I have shown two 'loni itudinal ribs or arch 5 for strengthening the blade. In order to hold the blade in place in the blade grip, adjacent the blade grip,

as best shown in Fig. 3, I turn both the upper and the lower edges of the sheet metal of which the blade is formed, first at an angle to the general face of the blade and then parallel thereto, as shown best in Fig. 3, where 6 is the portion at an angle to the face and 7 is the portion parallel thereto. Slots 8 are formed in portion 7 through which fastening means, as polygonal headed bolts 9 pass, which bolts also pass through bladegrip 1 and so hold the blade in the blade grip. In order to prevent the bolts from turning when the nuts are being screwed on, li. make use of a bolt lock 10, best shown in Fig 8. This bolt lock conoSlSi lS of a plate of sheet metal of suitable thickness having two holes 11, formed therein, through which the bolts pass and an upturned edge 12, against which a side of each of the bolt heads bears, as best shown in Fig. 3. This construction and arrangement prevents the bolts from turning while the nut is being screwed on.

Instead of the bolt lock shown in Fig.3, 1 may use a form such. as is shown by Fig. 9, in which the portion. 6 forms an abutment against which the head of the bolt rests, and is thereby restrained from. turning.

Fig. 2 shown a form of blade in which the edges 13 are in the form of arches, which serve as a strengthening means. The method of fastening the blade in the blade grip is shown in Fig. 2 as the same method shown by Fig. 3, but of course the method of Fig. 9 may also be used. Fig. 2 also shows clearly what may be called a gusset portion, that is part 14;, which may be considered as a prolongation of 6 to a point where it vanishes in the edge of the arch 18. This gusset portion greatly strengthens the blade. If 6 Were cut off abruptly a weak place would be present in the blade especially if it were cut off even with the edge of the blade grip.

Both forms of blade, that is that shown by Fig. 1 and that shown by Fig. 2 are made of a single piece of metal. They have a continuous and unbroken face and although immovably fixed to the blade grip 1, neverthcless due to the form. of connection includin the turned over portions, the main body of the blade is in reality connected to grip 1 by means of a resilient connection,

which allows a considerable resiliently restrained movement of the main body of the blade relative to the grip 1, so that a means is provided for absorbing shocks which are due to sudden movements in a direction normal to the face of the blade, thus tending to prevent breakage at the line of junctureof the blade and grip. The gusset portion 14 it will also be seen serves to distribute the force of the shocks so that the forces are not concentrated at the line of juncture of the blade and blade grip.

Although I have particularly described the construction of one physical embodiment of my invention, and explained the operation and principle thereof, nevertheless, lZ desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust the possible physical embodimerits of the idea of means underlying my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having means for attachment, including a portion substantially )?ll%Lll6l to the face of the blade and a portion connecting said first named portion and the body of the blade.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having an unbroken face free from protruding fastening means.

As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single shet of metal having an unbroken face free from protruding fastening means and having integral therewith means for attachment. 7

4i. its a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed. entirely of a single sheet of metal having at one end means for attachment, including a. portion substantially parallel to the face of the blade and a portion connecting said first named portion and the body of the blade.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having at one end means for attachment, including a portion turnec. at an angle to the face of the blade and a portion substantially parallel to the face of the blade.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having at one end means for attachment including a portion turned at an angle to the face of the blade and a portion substantially parallel to the face of the blade and said last named portion formed with slots.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a

semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having an unbroken face free from protruding fastening parts and having integral therewith means for attachment, comprising a portion on either edge at one end bent at an angle to the face of the blade and a continuation of said portion bent substantially parallel to the face of said blade and formed with slots. 8, a new article of manufacture a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having an unbroken face free from protruding fastening parts and formed with longitudinal strengthening arches.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a-

semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having an unbroken face free from protruding fastening parts parallel to the face of the blade.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade constructed entirely of a single sheet of metal having an unbroken face free from protruding fastening parts and formed with longitudinal strengthening arches and having a portion turned at an angle to the face of the blade and a continuation of said portion bent substantially parallel to the face of the blade and a triangular gusset portion connecting the first mentioned portion with the edge of the arch.

11. In a semaphore signal, as a fastening, 1n combinatlon; a blade grip; a blade; two

polygonal headed bolts passing through both blade and blade grip and a single sheet of metal having an upturned edge and formed with two bolt receiving orifices receiving the two bolts and having the upturned edge bearing against a side of each of'the heads.

12. In a semaphore signal, as a fastening, in combination; a blade grip; a blade having at one end a portion of the edge turned at an angle to the face of the blade and a continuation thereof positioned parallel to the face, said continuation formed with a slot; a polygonal headed bolt in said slot and passing through said blade grip and having one side of the head resting against said angle portion whereby the turning of the bolt is prevented.

18. A signal semaphore comprising a spectacle, a blade of sheet metal, and bolts whose heads are invisible for securing the blade to the spectacle.

14. A signal semaphore comprising a spectacle, an enameled blade, bolts for attaching the blade to the spectacle, the heads of the said bolts being invisible from the front of the blade, and means for rigidly preventing the bolts from revolving.

15. In a semaphore, a blade having a flange extending laterally from each edge adjacent one end of the blade, said flanges formed with openings for the reception of bolts, said flanges having their inner parts bent so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the blade and their outer parts bent toward each other and into substantial parallelism with the blade, a spectacle and bolts passed through the outer partsof said flanges and said spectacle.

16. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade having an unbroken face and free from protruding attaching means.

17. As a new article of manufacture, a semaphore blade including means for attachment and having a face free from attachment means.

18QAs a new article of manufacture, a

semaphore blade having-an unbroken face and free from protruding attaching means and including means for attaching.

19. In a semaphore, a blade, provided with laterally extending flanges at one end, i

said flanges provided With slots forreceiving bolts.

20. In a semaphore, a blade havinglongitudinally extending corrugations and a pair of oppositely extending side flanges at one end, a spectacle and means for securing said flanges to the spectacle.

21. In a semaphore, a blade having a flange extending laterally from each edge adjacent one end of the blade, said flanges formed with openings for'the reception ofbolts, said flanges having their inner parts bent so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the blade and'their outer parts bent toward each other and into substantial parallelism with the blade, a spectacle and bolts passed through the outer parts of said flanges and said spectacle, and means for preventing said bolts from turning.

FREDERICK C. LAVARACK. 

